This coffee is special. It is rare that we get the opportunity to taste a coffee so complex – especially from Indonesia.
We were amazed at how many different flavours and aromas we experienced on the cupping table while the coffee cooled. From sweet tropical fruits like papaya and nectarines to berries like raspberries and blackcurrants, this coffee even has a light lemonade-like flavour. And with a balanced herbal and sweet-spicy undertone, this coffee is uniquely delicious.
We recommend letting your coffee rest for 2-4 weeks after roasting. This is where the coffee will have the most flavour and aroma.
Challenging Expectations
Indonesian coffees are part of a very different section of the coffee industry. 75% of the country's production is of the species Coffea Canephora, also known as Robusta (ie not C. Arabica), which generally produces coffee of lesser quality. Most of that coffee is used in manufactured products such as instant or canned coffee.
Indonesian coffee does not have the best reputation in the specialty coffee industry. They are generally known for their earthy and unclean taste, but are all Indonesian coffees really like that?
With this coffee, we want to highlight a super clean and delicious coffee from West Java – and challenge all expectations of what Indonesian coffee tastes like.
Frinsa Estate
In 2010 Wildan Mustofa and his wife Atieq Mustikaningtyas started the coffee project that would become their farm Java Frinsa Estate. With an extraordinary focus on quality, Wildan Mustofa has managed to make his farm stand out from the crowd. He is truly one of the key figures in Indonesia's specialty coffee wave.
While most coffee in Indonesia is processed with the traditional wet-hulled method, they use mostly fully washed processing at Frinsa Estate, resulting in a much sweeter, cleaner, and more transparent flavour profile.
Notably, Frinsa Estate is one of the few farms in Indonesia that focuses on selling single variety coffee. They are also at the forefront of their experiments with modern processing methods, such as the use of bacteria such as lactobacillus or different types of yeast in the fermentation process.
A First at CleverCoffee
Over the years we have explored many different origins, but never Indonesia. Simply because we have never found the quality of Indonesian coffees to be on par with coffees from Africa or Central and South America. That is certainly not the case with this coffee.
But we explore not only a new origin but also new varieties. The varieties have distinctly Indonesian names, although they are genetically similar to many varieties found in Central and South America. For example, the Borbor variety is a cross between a Timor hybrid and Bourbon – not unlike something you might find in Colombia.
Our Purchase
We have paid $9.57/kg for the coffee (FOB).
The market price at the time of the contract was $4.03/kg.
This means we have paid 137% above the market price for this specific coffee.
